John Wallner

Good King Wenceslas, illustrated by John Wallner.

The classic Christmas carol, penned by English hymnist John M. Neale in the nineteenth century, and inspired by Wenceslaus I, a tenth-century king, and the patron saint of the Czech Republic, is presented here as a picture-book, with artwork by John Wallner. The simple narrative (the carol has four verses, which make up the text here) follows Wenceslas as he spies an impoverished peasant gathering firewood, calls for food and fuel, and, show more together with his page, sets out through the bitter cold of a St. Stephen's Day night, to bring them to his subject's humble home.

A brief dust-jacket blurb mentions that Wallner was inspired here by the works of the German Renaissance, and by Flemish master, Pieter Bruegel, which I found quite interesting, although I don't know that I was that impressed with the end result. This may have suffered, from being read so soon after the Tim Ladwig version, or even the one illustrated by Jamichael Henterly, but I found that I just wasn't as pleased, visually speaking, with this Good King Wenceslas. The color scheme just felt a little too pastel for me (especially the king's robe!), and even the wintry scenes - normally a favorite - weren't that thrilling. Still, I wouldn't say that I disliked this one, and think that those who love the carol, and are looking for illustrated editions, might want to take a look at it. show less

I enjoyed this book even as an adult. I grew up hearing this song, never truly understanding the meaning of the words. This book revealed to all of us the meaning of the song, and we love it. My kids asked me to read/sing it again and again

5 copies